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March 10, 1964 w, ROBERTS 3,123,924

PAPER CLIP TAB Filed NOV. 15, 1961 IN VEN TOR.

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United States Patent 3,123,924 PAPER CLEP TAB John W. Roberts, Ledyard, Conn. {415 Glyn Wynne Road, Havertord, Pa.) Fiied Nov. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 151,687 2 Claims. ((31. 41l) This invention relates to a bent wire paper clip having an integral, ring like tab formation at one end of the clip that renders the clip suitable for innumerable services over and above the usual clipping functions.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a paper :clip having an integral tab formation wherein the combination paper clip tab is of simple, readily manufactured construct-ion, is reversible, provides a ring-like formation that can serve as a tab per se or as a seat for various types of snap-on tabs, provides a positive stop to limit the extent to which the clip is applied to papers or the like, requires a minimum of wire to be bent in a simple, single plane, forming process, and is formed such that tab earmarking or tack-up display of sheet-like material can be achieved in the optimum manner.

It is another object of this invention to provide a paper clip having an integral ring-like tab formation at one end thereof that serves not only as a tab handle, but also as an indicia carrier to permit ready identifiication, classification and selection of the material to which the combination paper clip tab is applied.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a combination paper clip tab having a ring-like tab forrnation at one end thereof that lends itself to support on a thumb tack, hook or nail such that papers, charts, and other types of materials may be readily displayed on walls, billboards, or the like without the necessity for piercing the material by a pointed support member. In this connection it should be noted that the combination paper clip tab will not only support the sheet-like material for display purposes, but the material may be readily detached from and connected to the supporting clip with ease and without damage to the material.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a combination paper clip tab that is of simple and practical construction, novel in design, neat and attractive in appearance, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which it is intended.

Other objects and advantages will be readily apparent from a reading of the following description and a consideration of the related drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of one form of paper clip tab embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view showing the application of a pair of clips, of the form shown in FIG. 1, to the edge of a sheet of paper, cardboard or the like;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the tab clip shown in FIG. 1 applied to the edge of a paper or the like with the tab end extending inwardly or in the reversed position;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a pair of spaced paper clip tabs, similar to the FIG. 1 form, applied to the edge of a sheet of paper or the like, with a tab supported indicia strip applied to and extending between the pair of clip tabs;

PEG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view taken along the line of and in the direction of the arrows 5-5 of FIG. 4;

PEG. 6 is a fragmentary front elevational view of -a paper clip tab embodying this invention and having a snap-on indicia button applied to the ring-like tab formation of the clip;

FIG. 7 is a sectional elevational view taken along the line of and in the direction of the arrows 7-7 of PEG. 6;

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FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of a paper clip tab embodying this invention with a thumb tack snapped on and projecting through the tab ring on the end of the clip;

FIG. 9 is a sectional elevational view taken along the line of and in the direction of the arrows 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a front elevational View of an application of this paper clip tab to a sheet of reference material wherein a paper indicia tab has been clipped to and supported by the clip tab;

FIG. 11 is a sectional elevation-a1 view taken along the line of and in the direction of the arrows 11-11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of a slightly modified form of paper clip tab embodying this invention; and

FIG. 13 is a perspective of the FIG. 1 form of clip applied to a relatively thick packet of sheet material with the tab end of the clip in the reversed or inwardly disposed position.

Looking first at FIG. 1 it will be seen that the combination paper clip tab C comprises an inner loop or convolution 21 and an outer loop or convolution 22 with said outer loop 22 including a ring-like formation 23 at one end of the outer loop to provide an integral tab formation. Inner loop 2d may be considered to be formed from the spaced side legs 25 and 26 that have their opposite ends connected respectively by the semicircular bight portion 27 and the substantially V-shape-d bight portion 23. The outer loop 22 may be considered to be formed by the spaced side legs 31, 32 that have their opposite ends closed or connected respectively by the semi-circular bight portion 33 and the outwardly extending, converging ends 37 that terminate in the circular tab ring 23. A free leg 35 projects from the ring-like tab 23 .and extends parallel to and adjacent the loop legs 25, 31. The clip legs may be serrated or knurled as shown at 36.

FIG. 2 shows a pair of the combination paper clip tabs C applied to the edge of a sheet of paper or similar material P. The two clip tabs C shown in FIG. 2 are applied in a slightly different manner which points out the flexibility and advantages of a clip of the disclosed type. The clip C on the left side of FIG. 2 has the inner loop 21 disposed on the underside of the sheet P with the outer loop 22 and the free leg 35 disposed on the top side of the sheet P. it will be noted that the upper edge 38 of the sheet P is seated in the crest groove of the inverted V-shaped bight portion 28 so that the high-t portion limits the degree to which the clip tab is inserted over the sheet P. Because of the limiting action of the bigh-t 28 the tab ring 23 will always project outwardly the proper distance from the edge 2% of the sheet P when the clip tab C is applied in the normal manner.

The clip C on the right side of FIG. 2 has the inner loop 21 disposed beneath the sheet P with the outer loop 22 disposed on the upper or top side of the sheet P. In this application of the clip C the free log 35 of the clip is disposed beneath the sheet P so that a three wire hold of the sheet P is achieved by the legs '25, 31, 35 on the right side of the clip C. The clip attachment shown at the right side of FIG. 2 gives an extremely secure anchoring of the clip C to the sheet P, but it does require slightly more care in inserting the clip on the sheet P.

FIG. 3 shows a clip C applied to the edge of the sheet C in a reversed manner wherein the tab ring 23 is disposed inwardly. Thus it is seen that clip tab C can be used both as a conventional paper clip and as a tab device.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a novel application of a pair of the clips C wherein they are spaced apart along a top edge of the sheet P and are used to support a marker bar or indicia holder ill. The arrangement shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 might be used as a divider member for a file drawer to indicate a particular section of material or it might merely provide space for printing a particular reference title. The indicia holder 4-0 is shown as a grooved plastic strip having a pair of integralbutton-like formations 41 projecting from its rear side that are adapted to be snapped into the ring-like tab formations 23 of the spaced clips C. The grooved front side of the indicia holder 4% have turned in edges d2 that slidably receive the marker card or paper 44. It is thought to be obvious that an appropriately labeled marker card 44 is first prepared and slidably inserted beneath the holder edges 42. Thereafter the holder 40 is applied to the tab rings 23 that support the holder by pressing the button-like formations 41 of the holder into the mating rings 23 of the clip tabs C. It is apparent that any number of clip tabs can be mounted on a sheet edge at the spacing of the holder buttons 41 and an appropriate length of indicia holder cut off and applied to the clips C.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show the use of the clip tab C to support appropriately marked indicia tabs 45 that may be made from plastic, metal, paper, rubber, or the like. In this instance the tab 45 has a button-like formation 4-7 that is snapped into the tab ring 23. The button-like formation 47 carries an ear or finger 46 that is adapted to extend into the space between the clip legs 32, 35 to prevent the tab 45 from turning and thus keep the letter A upright in its intended position.

F163. 8 and 9 show the use of the combination clip tab C with a thumb tack device to provide an improved manner of exhibiting material on a display or bulletin board. Thumb tack 59 has a button-like head 51 of plastic or similar material that can be snapped into the ring-like tab formation 23 of clip C. The thumb tack head 51 supports a tack prong 52 than can be readily inserted into a wall, display or bulletin board or like type of support. The tack head 51 may carry an identifying numeral or letter such as the numeral 7 shown. With thumb tacks Sil and the novel clip tab C it is thought to be obvious that sheet-like material such as P can be displayed without puncturing the sheet material as it can be detachably inserted between the legs of the clip C with the clip being mounted on its support by virtue of the tab ring formation 23. Obviously, a string, wire or the like could be threaded through ring 23 instead of a thumb tack.

FlGS. l0 and 11 show another use for the combination clip tab C. In this instance a paper or cardboard marker strip T is labeled with the appropriate data, such as REF B, and then the marker strip T is clipped to the supporting sheet P by the clip C with the tab formation 23 of clip C extending outwardly from the edge 58 of the sheet P to give a cantilever type support for the outwardly extending marker strip T. In a case such as this the back of marker strip T can even be connected to the tab ring 23 by an adhesive tape or the like.

PEG. 12 shows a modified form of clip tab C that is similar to the clip C shown in FIGS. 1-11 but differs therefrom by having a shorter free leg 35. In the FIG. 12 form the same amount of wire has been used to form the clip C as is used to form a conventional paper clip but the free leg has been shortened to provide the wire needed to form the ring tab 23'. The gripping power of clip C is substantially equal to that of the conventional paper clip and in addition the clip C provides the novel tab ring 23 that gives the many additional functions that have been disclosed for this combination paper clip tab without use of extra wire stock. It is possible to still have a satisfactory combination paper clip tab and completely omit the third or free leg 35'. In such a case the tab ring 35 would terminate at the line 60. With a wire without any substantial loss in clip gripping ability or the other noted attributes.

FIG. 13 shows a paper clip tab C inserted over the edge 65 of a number of sheets of paper, or the like, S with the tab ring 23 located inwardly of the edge 65 in the so-called reversed position rather than projecting outwardly beyond said edge 65. In this case a three wire hold is used to grip the paper stack S due to the free leg 35 being placed beneath the stack S with the inner loop 21 while the outer loop is disposed on top of the stack S.

While it would be conventional to form a paper clip tab of the disclosed type from a flexible wire filament by a continuous bending operation, still, it is foreseeable that a paper clip of the disclosed type could be formed from a filament of plastic that is somewhat resilient and, therefore, it is within the confines of this invention to include clips of such materials that are defined by the attached claims.

I claim:

1. A tab clip comprising a single wire bent to successively form a first elongated convolution comprising an elongated first side leg connected at one end by an outwardly extending, coplanar, semi-circular bight portion to one end of a second elongated parallel side leg that terminates at its other end in an outwardly extending, coplanar, substantially V-shaped, formation that extends to the other end of said first side leg and continues therefrom so as to form a second elongated convolution surrounding said first convolution and comprising a third elongated side leg extending lengthwise of and adjacent said first side leg of said first convolution and terminates in an outwardly extending, coplanar, semi-circular, bight portion that continues so as to provide a fourth elongated side leg that extends lengthwise of and adjacent to said second side leg of said first convolution, said fourth side leg continuing and shaped to form an outwardly extending, laterally inwardly directed end portion, a connected circular tab ring closing the vertex of the llhaped end formation of said first convolution and an inwardly extending, laterally outwardly directed end portion that extends to the third elongated side leg.

2. A tab clip comprising a single wire bent to successively form a first elongated convolution comprising an elongated first side leg connected at one end by an outwardly extending, coplanar, semi-circular bight portion to one end of a second elongated parallel side leg that terminates at its other end in an outwardly extending, coplanar, substantially V-shaped, formation that extends to the other end of said first side leg and continues therefrom so as to form a second elongated convolution surrounding said first convolution and comprising a third elongated side leg extending lengthwise of and adjacent said first side leg of said first convolution and terminates in an outwardly extending, coplanar, semi-circular, bight portion that continues so as to provide a fourth elongated side leg that extends lengthwise of and adjacent to said second side leg of said first convolution, said fourth side leg continuing and shaped to form an outwardly extending, laterally inwardly directed end portion, a connected circular tab ring closing the vertex of the V- shaped end formation of said first convolution and an inwardly extending, laterally outwardly directed end portion that extends to the third elongated side leg, said last mentioned end portion continuing to provide a fifth side leg parallel to and adjacent the outer side of the third side leg of said second convolution.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 866,141 ay Sept. 17, 1907 1,188,963 Mathews June 27, 1916 2,047,129 Randall July 7, 1936 2,055,152 Larson Sept. 22, 1936 2,510,508 Mayer June 6, 1950 2,665,463 Aurynger Jan. 12, 1954 

1. A TAB CLIP COMPRISING A SINGLE WIRE BENT TO SUCCESSIVELY FORM A FIRST ELONGATED CONVOLUTION COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FIRST SIDE LEG CONNECTED AT ONE END BY AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING, COPLANAR, SEMI-CIRCULAR BIGHT PORTION TO ONE END OF A SECOND ELONGATED PARALLEL SIDE LEG THAT TERMINATES AT ITS OTHER END IN AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING, COPLANAR, SUBSTANTIALLY V-SHAPED, FORMATION THAT EXTENDS TO THE OTHER END OF SAID FIRST SIDE LEG AND CONTINUES THEREFROM SO AS TO FORM A SECOND ELONGATED CONVOLUTION SURROUNDING SAID FIRST CONVOLUTION AND COMPRISING A THIRD ELONGATED SIDE LEG EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF AND ADJACENT SAID FIRST SIDE LEG OF SAID FIRST CONVOLUTION AND TERMINATES IN AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING, COPLANAR, SEMI-CIRCULAR, BIGHT PORTION THAT CONTINUES SO AS TO PROVIDE A FOURTH ELONGATED SIDE LEG THAT EXTENDS LENGTHWISE OF AND ADJACENT TO SAID SECOND SIDE LEG OF SAID FIRST CONVOLUTION, SAID FOURTH SIDE LEG CONTINUING AND SHAPED TO FORM AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING, LATERALLY INWARDLY DIRECTED END PORTION, A CONNECTED CIRCULAR TAB RING CLOSING THE VERTEX OF THE V-SHAPED END FORMATION OF SAID FIRST CONVOLUTION AND AN INWARDLY EXTENDING, LATERALLY OUTWARDLY DIRECTED END PORTION THAT EXTENDS TO THE THIRD ELONGATED SIDE LEG. 